Goldper10 Power Rankings – Week 3

LPL – Week 3 – by @Ghostoneesports

Group A :

• QG (-)

• SS (-)

• WE (-)

• M3 (-)

• EPA (-)

• LGD (-)

Group B :

• EDG (+3)

• RNG (-1)

• IG (-)

• Vici (-2)

• OMG (-)

• HYG (-)

Overall LPL Rankings :

• EDG (+6)

• QG (-1)

• RNG (-1)

• IG (-1)

• Vici Gaming (-1)

• WE (-)

• M3 (+1)

• OMG (+2)

• EPA(-1)

• LGD (-1)

• HYG (-) 

Tier 1 : EDG, QG

 After a rough first week where EDG decided to try and use their substitute jungler in Fireloli, the MIS champion lineup of Koro1, Clearlove, Pawn, Deft, and Meiko have shown that they are still the kings of China. Although they’ve had an easier schedule this week in Hyper Youth Gaming and OMG the level of dominance they have shown especially from Clearlove are the signs of a top tier team. Clearlove has stated that he wants to train Fireloli to eventually replace him in the jungle and also give him an in house rival. As it stands though EDG with Fireloli is a Chinese team struggling in the middle of the pack, EDG with Clearlove however, is in my mind a top 5 team in the world and one of the front runners in winning the LpL Spring Season.

QG continues their incredible streak, having not even dropped a single game and ending week three 10-0. What was most impressive this week was the fact they took down Snake Gaming, a team who I consider to be a top 5 team in China no problem, and won 2-0 using both of their super star ADCs, Peco and Uzi. I still think the true test for how good this team really is, is they have yet to face EDG. If QG can beat EDG then I think QG will really cement themselves as the best team in China. That match is a couple weeks from now and until then they are still in a tier above the rest of the LpL and the record over other teams shows it.

Tier 2 : Snake, RNG, IG

Snake is a team that in many ways frustrates the hell out of me, because when I look at that team and how they play, there is a team there that can compete at the top of the LpL and even be a dark horse on the world stage. Snake has also been a team that has made great use of lane swaps and map rotations. However their pick ban phase to put it nicely, leaves a lot to be desired, and to put it not so nicely, is dreadful. Also the insistence of using Korean mid laner Tank, who has shown to be a decent enough player, however U who currently sits on their bench is one of the best role playing mid laners I’ve ever seen. Tank as a player has only shown ability on a few champions and a few styles, U on the other hand has shown a plethora of champions which I feel opens up the rest of Snake to really shine. Again it’s sad because Snake as a team could be so much better than what they’ve shown and what their record says. 

RNG slumped a bit this week for me having lost a tough best of 3 to a rising IG roster. Although they still sit at the top of the standings and still turn in very impressive performances, when I compare them to what EDG has shown this week, they do stand out to me as being a slightly weaker team. All that said though RNG has really been having a fantastic year so far with really stand out performances from Mlxg and Mata, and although we haven’t seen him yet I hope that they bring out NaMei soon because if they play with the theoretical highs that NaMei has shown in the past RNG could potentially be an even stronger team.

The story of IG is simple, Rookie is one of the best Mid laners in history, bar none and has shown he is on that upper level with the likes of Dade, PawN, Cool and Faker. Although Rookie is clearly the star of that team and has put in performances where he 1v9s, the team around him has also stepped up as well. Time has worked out as being a pretty good ADC and Zztai has also shown that he can also be a secondary carry when they need him to be. To address the elephant in the room of Kid jungle, well it’s still Kid but thank god you can play adcs in the jungle like Graves. He is a passable jungler for the team and to his credit, I’ve seen worse junglers, he is probably better than TBQ.

Tier 3 : WE, Vici

Both WE and Vici are teams that I think if they did a few tweaks to their rosters and play styles could really start turning in great performances. Both teams have players who we know are mega stars, Easyhoon and Dandy for Vici, and players who are just below the tip of the spear in being great players, Mystic and xiye from WE. I think they greatest problem these teams are facing right now, is the lack of communication and team identity. When I say communication I don’t just mean can the Korean and Chinese players talk to each other, I also mean are the communicating properly. Both teams have shown some weakness in rotations and moving together as one unit. When I bring up team identity, I mean that more towards Vici gaming. They are a team that at times look confused on what they want to do with their line up and who is going to step up and carry. These are both issues that I think will work themselves out over time as the team plays together longer, but for now they sit in the dead center of the rankings for me.

Tier 4 : M3, LGD

I don’t want to spend much time on M3, other than I think they are a team above the very bottom of the Lpl standings. Each player has shown to me over the weeks that they could have a few stand out stars and that their other players at least know how to play the game right proper. They don’t deserve to be on the bottom but I have a hard time seeing them reaching playoffs.

LGD on the other hand, I had a hard time putting them in Tier 4 and not Tier 5. I decided that because they have been showing signs of life recently, and it helps they picked up their first win against EPA, that this is a team that is hopefully on an upward trend, even if it’s a slow one. I do want to single out Imp however, because even though as an overall team LGD look like a hot mess, Imp still manages to shine and turn in world class performances. We’ve also seen We1less show up during the EPA games which is hope that he will return to being one of the best Mid laners in the world. I still have questions about the rest of the team, most notably Marin, but I think this team is looking like they are starting to figure things out.  

Tier 5 : OMG, HYG, EPA

LCK – Week 3 – by @patsimetz

• Rox Tigers (-)

• Smeb is continuing to play extremely well, and is the best top laner in the world in my opinion
• Peanut’s early game pressure has given Rox the ability to fight well in the early game on top of their already established late game shotcalling
• Kuro has stepped up from last season’s performance with a more aggressive playstyle

2. KT Rolster (+1)

• KT are coming off a solid 2-0 against Samsung
• Ssumday has retained his summer 2015 form
• Score is jungling extremely well especially with his Graves performance (which makes sense because he used to be an adc main)

3. SK Telecom T1 (-1)

• While SKT had a lackluster performance against Najin (even with their full roster in game 3), they had quite a close series against Rox – before Kkoma decided to put in Blank in game 3, which is why I have still ranked them 3rd.
• Bengi still has not proved to be able to play meta adc junglers and Blank has had very bad performances

4. Jin Air (-)

• Jin air vs SKT is a really tough decision at the moment
• While Jin air upset SKT in that 2-0, surprising them with the top Graves, they have faced really weak opponents which is why I’m a bit hesitant moving them into top 3
• Additionally, they did not convincingly beat CJ in game 2
• I am not sure if TrAce can keep up this level, but at the moment, he is in the top 3 of LCK top laners

5. Lonzhu (+1)

• Had a close 2-0 against the Freecs.
• To stay in the top 5, this week they should have clean 2-0’s against CJ and Najin to prove they have the ability to consistently beat the bottom teams.
• Lonzhu could improve if they give Coco more direct playmaking champions instead of poke champs like Lux

6. Samsung (-1)

• While Samsung was 5th last week they failed to challenge both KT or Rox
• They show a strong macro game in the late game – with Ambition leading the way through veteran shotcalling, however against the top teams they pretty much got bodied in the early game to a point of no return.

7. Afreeca Freecs (-)

• Sangyoon is looking promising – he has stepped up from last season and could potentially be a second carry alongside Mickey
• Although the scoreboard against Longzhu says 2-0, a lot of the games were very close untill the mid to late game, in which Afreeca fought a few bad team fights.
• If Freecs clean up their shotcalling, they could break into the LCK’s middle pack. 

8. EM Fire (+1)

• Fought a very close series against SKT (granted, two games were against Blank, but Em Fire were ahead game 3 against SKT’s full roster).
• Ssol has performed well this season,  he has the 4th highest adc KDA in the league despite his team being 1-3, and has the highest kill participation at 79.1% – which is very good for an adc.

9. CJ Entus (-1)

• Game 2 was a close game against Jin air – CJ had the lead and were beginning to close out the game until they picked one bad team fight
• Sky and Bubbling have been a liability for CJ – Sky does not appear to have either the mechanics or a good team fighting mind, while Bubbling takes a soloq style jungle path – constantly getting collapsed on in the river.

10. Sbenu Sonicboom (-)

• Sbenu had a chance to remove themselves from the bottom of the leaderboard this week against Afreeca, but lost in a decently close 2-0.
• Although Flawless has shown he has good mechanics on champions such as Lee sin, he has not adapted well to the professional scene (yet).

LMS – Week 3 – by @HapyGas

• ahq e-Sports Club

Started the LMS as the top team in the region, and have stayed as the top team in the region. All four of their set wins have been systematic and clean. Not always stomps, but systematic and clean.

• Hong Kong Esports

Continuing on top of their strong performances in 2015, Hong Kong Esports have dealt with the losses of Stanley, Toyz and even Raison almost perfectly. HKE have struggled in closing out best-of-two scenarios, playing out their last two sets as 1-1 draws with Machi 17 and Taipei Assassins.

• Taipei Assassins

TPA are probably the most consistent team so far this split, apart from AHQ (and CGE). They’ve won games they should have against Machi and  Cougar, split with Hong Kong Esports and gone down to a strong Flash Wolves. TPA looked to have finally solved their jungler dilemna for the first time since Winds left, as REFRA1N is looking solid amongst veteran Bebe.

• Flash Wolves

Speaking of consistency, Flash Wolves are by far the most inconsistent team so far this split. The Flash Wolves went down to challenger team eXtreme Gamers in week two, just a day after a solid performance against Taipei Assassins. FW has a roster full of talent, and I expect them to solidify their place in the top 3 as the season progresses.

• Machi 17

Machi 17 appears to be the only candidate for the 5th spot on these rankings. Having cleanly beaten both eXtreme Gamers and Midnight Sun Esports and even managing to draw a set against Hong Kong Esports, Machi have shown strong improvement from 2015, with mid laner Apex leading the way.

• eXtreme Gamers

XG came out strong in their debut LMS split, taking down World Championship quarter finalists Flash Wolves in just their third match. Team Captain and jungler Yo alongside playmaker and mid laner SuwaKo have led their team excellently so far this split. Week Four will be a deciding week for the rookies, coming up against both Taipei Assassins and ahq e-Sports Club.

• Midnight Sun Esports

After losing all but two of their 2015 roster, MSE were expected to struggle in the 2016 season. While they haven’t looked terrible, the team has a long way to go before they return to the top five position they held in 2015.

• Cougar E-Sport

Cougar has not impressed at all this year, as expected. Essentially just a bunch of solo queue kids, cougar has never really put up much of a fight in any of their games. Losing mid laner jeffeRy to HKE was pretty much the nail in the coffin for this soon-to-be Dream or Reality v2.

NA LCS – Week 3 – by @maseratolol

• IMT (-)

Immortals are clearly the best team in the league at the moment. Their early games are incredibly dominant and they have played very intelligently to their win conditions. Every member of this roster has been showing up and they have clearly established themselves as the team to beat.

• NRG (+1)

NRG came out strong in week 3. With their full roster playing a full week for the first time they succeeded with a 2-0 record including a dominating victory over TSM. GBM is one of the most efficient damage dealers in the league and his Zilean was fantastic against TSM. Konkwon is also an underrated support who has very high warding numbers and is starting to prove that he is a strong LCS support.

• TSM (-1)

TSM is a bit of a frustrating team to place. It is obviously difficult to discount their massive talent and veteran status but they have shown quite a few glaring weaknesses. Their lane swaps were poor up until this week where they looked slightly more comfortable. They also seemed to react with panic against NRG’s Zilean Poppy siege composition, going in 1 by 1 resulting in a massive NRG lead and a perfect game loss for TSM. Still they should be able to beat any other team on this list that is below them with a few weeks of stage experience under their belts so I couldn’t justify placing them any lower.

• C9 (+1)

C9 have started to find an identity with Hai as their shotcaller playing around Rush’s ability to run around the opposing team’s jungle with no real support from his lanes early in the game to produce early game leads that compensate for their lackluster top laner. Incarnati0n has been performing very well on Corki and Viktor and Sneaky continues to be a consistent threat from the adc role.

• CLG (+1)

CLG have had a fairly easy schedule so far, with their hardest opponents being TSM before TSM really had come together as a team and Cloud9 who they lost to. CLG will likely be a middle of the table team for most of the split as their only advantage in NA was that they were supposed to be somewhat cohesive out of the gate but they have already dropped games to Dignitas and Cloud9.

• Team Liquid (+1)

TL has shown potential with their ten man roster starting to make sense in week 3. Dardoch is justifying the hype surrounding him and is performing like a top 3 jungler in NA. Fenix has had several strong showings on Lux and Piglet has been picking up some of the slack from top laner Lourlo who has not been having a great start to the split. They play a very strong early game and can take games off of better teams on good days.

• Team Impulse (+2)

No one saw them coming. Team Impulse has shocked everyone by putting on a string of impressive performances and ending week 3 with a 3-3 record and playing an aggressive style that is exciting to watch and has produced good results.

• Team Dignitas (-3)

Dignitas looked good out of the gate going 1-1 in their first week and showing solid macro play but they have looked very poor in the weeks since with sloppy mistakes outweighing any of the positives in their macro decision making.

• Renegades (-1) 

Renegades have fought hard in their first 6 games but they don’t have much to show for it. They have been outclassed  in the majority of their games but could have the potential to move up in the standings with time.

• Echo Fox (-)

Echo Fox is hard to judge because many of their games had a roster they would never use under normal conditions for most of their games thus far. Without Froggen there’s no reason to consider Echo Fox a better team than any other in NA.

EU LCS – Week 3 – by @SabrewoIf

• H2K (-)

• G2 Esports (-)

• Team Vitality (-)

• Fnatic (-)

• Origen (+2)

• Unicorns of Love (-1)

• Elements (-)

• Splyce (-)

• Roccat (-)

• Giants (-)

LJL – Week 3 – by @SabrewoIf

• Detonation (-)

• Rampage (-)

• Rascal jester (+2)

• Unsold Stuff Gaming (-)

• 7th Heaven (-2)

• Team Blackeye (-)

CBLoL – Week 3 – by @drpuppetlp

• INTZ (-)

Intz is skyrocketing their way through the CBLoL by being ahead of the other teams in every aspect of the game.

• Operation Kino (+2)

Operation Kino surprised everyone this week by beating PaiN Gaming and stepping up their Macro Game.

• Red Canids (+2)

• Keyd Stars (-2)

 Keyd don’t seem to be as solid as they appeared to be in the first 2 weeks, they struggled a lot in the game against Kabum and lost the second game to an amazingly played  teamfight by Kabums AD Carry Matzukase.

• G3X (+1)

• PaiN Gaming (-4)

Pains top laner Mylon got banned for 2 games and paiN had to play with their sub TheFoxz, that lead to BrTT playing top since TheFoxz is an ADC main and things didnt look good but not as bad as it could have been, however OPK played really solid against them

• Kabum Esports (+1)

• CNB (-1)

The CNB team reached their lowest point in their career. They are struggling to close out games really badly, leading them to lose another close series this week. Even with good drafts and the leadership by Coach Djokovic they were sent home suffering a 2:0 loss against Keyd Stars.